Legends
by Judge-Douglas-Mason
Summary: Ancient myths and some very scared crime scene investigators.just a short fic for now, depending on reviews
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own them. Wish I did, but I don't. Que Sera Sera.

Legends

"What could have done this?" Sara asked, looking around the campsite

The place was a complete and total mess. The tent was shredded, the contents of the fire pit had been scattered to the winds and there were body parts and pieces all over. By the looks of things there had been two people; a man and a woman. On the forest floor there were some extraordinarily large footprints and blood drops as well as strips of shredded clothing for nearly as far as one could see. It truly looked like the single worst attack that either Sara, Grissom, Jim or Greg had seen, and Grissom, with his knowledge of obscure creatures and random bits of information trapped in his head, was almost at a loss for words.

Greg was snapping photos of the scene in all it's gruesome nature. There was what looked to be an arm sticking out of some low lying shrubbery and about ten feet from that was what he could only describe as "maybe a toe" in the middle of some grass that looked like some animal had patted it down or slept in it. On the edges of the scene Jim was standing, his hand braced against a tree, vomiting, while Grissom and Sara stood over the remains of the tent.

"Indian legend tells of a large hairy beast that, near as anyone can tell, was sort of a cross between Sasquatch, The Jersey Devil and a large carnivorous canine. Parents would tell their children "be good or the RaRa, so named for it's call, will get you in your sleep." Needless to say, for a small child, the fear of this creature making off with them in the middle of the night caused a great many young children to be on their best behaviour and when they were bad, they'd sit up all night, shaking with fear." he explained

"This coming from people that dress up in animal pelts because they think they make them strong. How old is this legend? I mean, nowadays something like that couldn't possibly have any effect on even the most gullible of people." she commented

"Well I'm not sure, but from what I remember, its been around for the last few generations. The first American encounter with the myth was about a hundred and seventy five years ago by a man named Thomas Hammond. He was an explorer and was doing topographical studies and map making of the surrounding areas; he was a pioneer." Gil continued

"And what became of him? I've never heard of him"  
"He disappeared. Apparently he returned home, documented his findings, filed them away somewhere and on his return trip back out here to find the creature and make it publicly known, he just upped and vanished. Neither his grave nor his remains were ever found."

From his tree Jim could hear Grissom's explanation and couldn't help but think it all a big steaming heap of crap. Standing straight and wiping the sweat from his face, he turned to Grissom and Sara and managed a few words.

"Horse bunk...or more likely Sasquatch bunk."

Greg laughed, not because he thought Jim's comment was funny, but more because he was trying to suppress his gag reflex. Approaching them on very unsteady legs, he set his camera down and picked up his kit.

"So, who does what?" he asked

Looking around, Grissom surveyed the grounds and shelled out assignments.

"Greg, you take the camp site, Sara you take the top half of the surrounding area and I'll take the bottom half of the area. Jim,..."

Jim looked like he was trying not to honk again, so Grissom just told him to give a yell if he saw anything suspect. Silently thanking him with a wave of his hand, Jim began to wander around a bit looking for any other body parts or pieces of whatever. Pulling his cell from his pocket, he growled when he saw that there was absolutely no signal whatsoever out there. It was just the four of them; no officers, no coroner as of yet and no one but the four of them. At hearing that there was a suspicious scene out at Pyramid Lake Grissom jumped at the opportunity and recruited people to come with him on what he promised would be an amazing experience. Sara had agreed to go because it was as close to a vacation as she'd have had in quite some time. Greg went along because Sara was going to be there Jim accompanied them as a sort of chaperone and Grissom decided to go it overnight because he was tired of Catherine's whining about needing time off and her serious lack of a personal life.

So there they were, the four of them, in the middle of the woods with their cameras and their kits trying to get as much done while it was still light out as they could. They brought no tents as they would sleep in the trucks as they would most certainly be more sturdy than some flimsy nylon tent. As soon as they had arrived they had drawn straws to see who would be bunking with whom and much to his displeasure he drew the "Greg" straw and that having been done, he offered the young man 100.00 each night they were there for him to sleep up front, letting Grissom have the back all to himself. Reluctantly Greg accepted, but only because he was going to apply the proceeds to his and Sara's date; only she didn't know it yet.

As the sky became dark they brought out the camp stove and prepared a lovely supper of MRE's and bottled water. Exchanging theories over meals, each person had their own ideas as to what this creature was and what it's motivation would be.

"Its most likely some evolutionary missing link that has lived out here for hundreds of years and only now is surfacing because man is encroaching on it's territory." Greg said

"While I agree with my colleague's summation, I believe there's more to it than just urban sprawl. We have to consider that there are most likely more than one of them, as its highly unlikely that there has been just the one for the last 175 years. Maybe one of it's young ran off or was captured or injured and its retaliating against the likely suspects" Grissom contributed

"I think its just some displaced bear that's just really hungry." Sara hissed

"Nah, its just some guy in a fur suit that has homicidal tendencies.." Jim said while nipping on his flask

It was around midnight and everyone had gone to their respective bunks and as Grissom sat up writing in his journal, Greg was still trying to get comfy, his back against the driver's door, his knees over the centre console and his right leg thrown over the passenger seat headrest. In the other truck Jim was snoozing contentedly as Sara was debating on whether or not she should wake him to stop his snoring. Finally she got fed up and gave him a good smack on the chest, causing him to shoot up and hit his head on the inner roof of the truck.

"What……what happened?" he asked, yawning

"You were snoring. Take one of these." she said, pulling a Breathe-right strip from her pack

Placing it on the bridge of his nose, he went back to sleep with no more nasal orchestrations. After about half an hour she fell asleep and dreamed happy dreams of being on a beach somewhere in South America with no work, no problems and no Grissom anywhere in sight.

It was around 03:00hrs when Sara woke with a terrible pressure on her bladder. Having to pee with some urgency, she popped the hatch of the truck and stuck her head out, making sure the coast was clear. Grabbing her flashlight, she climbed out and nearly fell flat on her back when she heard a voice.

"And where are you going?" Jim asked "I gotta pee"  
"Me too."

He got up and climbed out with her. Going to their individual trees, Jim watered the plants while Sara spent a few minutes like a scared squirrel, shining her light at every little noise she heard. Laughing to himself, Jim approached her and placed a hand on her shoulder causing her to jump out of her skin.

"Dammit, Jim. Are you trying to give me a heart attack"  
"You go pee and I'll guard you." he said, still laughing

"With what, your flashlight?"

Reaching into the waistband of his jeans, he made to pull something out.

"Jim, that's just wrong on so many levels." she said, trying to contain her nervous laughter

"In your dreams, sister." he said, pulling out his sidearm

With his back turned and Sara squatting behind a holly type bush, Jim looked around making sure everything was cool. Exposed in every sense of the word, Sara heard a snap in the distance and nearly fell over. Bracing herself against the bush, she recoiled her hand in pain from the pricklies.

"Jim, was that you? Where are you?" she called out in a whisper

"I'm right here. Don't worry, I didn't peek"  
"No, not that. I heard something"  
"Its probably just a llama." he said

"Llamas are not indigenous to Nevada"  
"Then it was probably a peacock or something"  
"A peacock? Are you smoking something"  
"No, I'm not. Just pee and leave the kangaroos out of it." he said, continuing to mess with her "You're a freak, do you know that"  
"If you only knew." he mumbled

Sara heard this last comment and wondered about the symbolism behind it when she heard something very loud and very close. Hearing the same sound that Sara heard, Jim stiffened up and trained his weapon towards the noise.

"Come on, Nature Girl. Finish your business and let's get back."

Not wanting to take any longer than absolutely ness carry, she hitched up her jeans and came running back to him. Running for dear life, Sara collided with Jim and fell back on the flat of her back. Shining the light at her, Jim extended a hand and pulled her up. The noise, whatever it was, was getting progressively closer and as they both tore ass out of there, their movements woke the occupants of the other truck. Having heard the hatch from the other truck slam shut, Grissom sat up and looked around. The flashlight was on in Jim and Sara's truck and he could see through the windows that there was something up. Wanting to find out what it was, but having more pressing business, he opened the rear driver's door and climbed out, stepping about ten feet away and relieving himself. He had just zipped himself up when he heard what he could only describe as a herd of stampeding buffalo approaching from the tree line. His imagination running away with him, he virtually flew back to the truck and slammed the door shut, waking Greg. Looking around, Greg wondered what was up. No sooner had he wondered, then they all heard the same thing.

"Ra-ra-ra-ra Ra-ra-ra-ra! Ra-ra-ra-ra Ra-ra-ra-ra!"


	2. CH 2

"What the hell was that?" Greg shouted

"I dunno, maybe a bear with a cold." Grissom replied

True they were all adults, but in a situation like theirs (being in the woods at night, exposed, processing a very strange case and the very real possibility of a dangerous creature about) it was very understandable that they might let their imaginations run away with them. For his part, Grissom was usually very stoic and sensible, but with his weenie hanging out of his pants like it had been, there was just something, a feeling, that made him run for dear life. Looking back at him, Greg asked again, followed by him rolling down his window and being very creative in his method of urination.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

In Jim and Sara's truck she was still breathing very rapidly and Jim was calming her as best he could, but she was virtually inconsolable. Normally not one to freak out so easily, she just kind of sat there and stared out the window while Jim reached into his pack.

"Here, take this." he said, handing her his flask

"Its not enough that I'm scared shitless, now you're trying to get me drunk?" she managed

"No, once you're drunk you won't be scared, you'll be"  
"Yeah, I get it." she replied, glaring at him

Jim just let a twinkle show in his eyes and reached into his pack again, pulling out a deck of cards. Seeing them, Sara smiled and took them, breaking the deck. A glint in her eyes as well, she smiled and set the terms of the game.

"21 wins and the loser has to take a drink. How much do you have?"

Reaching into his pack again, Jim pulled out half a bottle of Johnny Walker Black Label. Both of them laughing maniacally, Jim set the bottle between them and opened his flask and taking another nip, he handed it back to Sara as if to challenge her. Eyeing him, she tipped the end up and swallowed hard, exhaling through her nose so as not to burn her throat.

Dealing him a card face down and one to herself, face down, she took note of the expression on his face. If she didn't know any better she'd have thought that he was scared, but as he wasn't one to scare easily, she dismissed the thought. The next card was face up for both of them.

"1 or 11 showing." Jim said, lifting the edge of his face down card

"10 showing." she replied, lifting hers

Dealing him another card, she growled when she saw it.

"Hah! 21. Drink up girl." he virtually shouted, handing her the flask

"Not so fast, fancy pants."

She dealt herself a card and grudgingly snatched the alcohol from him and tilted it back, taking a long tug. A bit concerned that she'll get trashed too soon, he took the drink from her and grinned.

"Winner doses the loser." "Deal"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

In their truck Greg was gloating about his ingenuity regarding his pee pee and since neither of them felt as if they'd be able to get back to sleep, they tossed theories back and forth about the case.

"So, you think that it's a combination of factors that caused this, whatever it is to show itself?" Greg asked

"I'm thinking a lot of things. I'm thinking that whatever it is, they attacked two people who were most likely too close to the creature's home or habitat, so it was maybe scared or felt threatened. Most of the time when animals attack its out of fear or self defense." Grissom said thoughtfully

"So you're convinced that it is, in fact, some missing link of some sort that's in search of its kin"  
"Like I said, it may have felt boxed in or maybe he was just having a bad day. But one thing I am sure of is that we need to find this whatever it is, be it man or beast, in order to protect it as well as other hikers that might come out here for some of Mother Nature's Goodness."

"So you don't agree with Jim and Sara then, that its just some guy in a fur suit with a predilection for death and dismemberment?" Greg asked

"The variables are virtually limitless, Grasshopper." Grissom replied, raising a brow

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"You lose again. Bottoms up." Jim said, extending his arm and dosing Sara

At present she was bordering on cross eyed and drooling, but by the same token, Jim was a bit more pickled than he had been in quite some time. The liquor was mostly gone and Sara was getting quite warm. She knew she'd lose the next hand, so making sure she was wearing her bra and that her jumblies were properly hoisted, she removed her shirt. Wondering what she was doing, but not really wanting to fight her, Jim just sat and stared. Seeing this, Sara offered an explanation.

"As Sting said in "Dune", "Why prolong the inevitable?". I know I'm gonna lose, I'm just doing it now so I don't have to do it later."

"Uh-huh." was his only response

Taking the cards from her and dealing them, there was a Queen of spades and a 7 of hearts down and a King of hearts and an ace of spades in Jim's favour. Forgetting that she had already removed an article of clothing, Sara took her sock off.

"Oh, no, missy. Socks are one item, take em' both off"  
"You're just a dirty old man, you are." she snapped

"Yeah, but hey, whatcha' gonna do about it?" he replied

At this they both laughed aloud and Jim thought to himself that the whole "take a drink and lets play cards" was working very well, maybe too well, as both of them had totally forgotten about the big nasty thing-a-ma-bad in the woods. The next couple of hands went in Sara's favour, much to her pleasure, and as Jim took the last drink of the bottle and shed his shirt, she saw that he had a scar on his left bicep. Slowly and carefully she reached out and traced a finger along the length of the scar tissue.

"What's that from?" she asked, still tracing and with her tongue peeking out slightly

Jim just memorized her face and for a moment he forgot her question; that was until she reissued it. Trying to purge the naughty thoughts from his very fertile imagination, Jim thought about his scar and how he got it.

"I was a rookie back in Jersey and one day, in my infinite wisdom, I rushed into a house that had yet to be cleared. Some crack head came at me with a Ghurka and it nicked me." he explained

"That's a nick"  
"Well, when you consider what a Ghurka looks like and the shape of it, I got out easy."

The sensation of Sara's finger on his wound was slight and tingly, and as she pulled her hand back and placed it in her lap, he wondered if it was the alcohol or curiosity that made her reach out and touch him. Not wanting to dwell on it for too long, he started to deal again.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"So, how do you think you're doing as a level 1 CSI, Greg?" Grissom asked

"Do you know something I don't?" he replied

"No, I'm just asking. I want to see if your beliefs gel with the facts"  
"For a newbie, I think I'm doing fairly well. I know there's still a lot for me to learn, but with experience, I believe I can only improve." he explained

"And what areas do you think you need improvement in"  
"Well, pretty much everything, save for DNA. Everything from glass breakage and poisons to methods of strangulation and modes, manners and causes of death. Grissom, I'm the first to admit when I'm wrong or lacking in something..."

"Slow your roll, Greg. There's nothing wrong with you, in fact I'm really rather proud of you. I like to think that I've seen you grow up, so to speak and in that time you've continually impressed me in just about every way possible."

Greg was a bit unsure how to respond to Grissom and his honesty, as its usually a challenge for him to even say how he feels about something personal, but right here, right now, he was being unusually candid. He wondered what brought all this on, but at the same time he wasn't going to fight or dispute compliments from his mentor and supervisor.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Don't do that, it tickles." Jim said in very assertive tones

Sara had reached past Jim to get something from her pack and lightly grazed his exposed love handle. At present they were both nearly entirely naked and Jim, being the man that he was, let Sara keep her bra on and remove her jeans instead. Truth be told she'd rather be sitting in front of him naked from the waist up, bare breasts and all, but there was a certain amount of wisdom in his suggestion, as right now they were both just in their underclothes.

"Ahh, so you're ticklish, are you?" she said, lunging at him and landing him on the flat of his back

"Get off me, you...you..."

Sara had tackled him and was right now straddling his midsection, dangerously close to his "little detective". Her fingers at his sides and him writhing around between her legs, Sara grabbed one of his nipples and twisted it, causing him to shout out.

"Aggghhh."

Seeing the crazy look in her eyes, Jim tried to fight her off, but she had him pinned, her centre on his stomach and one hand on each wrist, restrained above his head.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"What the hell was that?" Greg shouted

"It sounded like Jim." Grissom said, jumping up

Greg opened his door and Grissom popped the hatch and they both got out and ran over to the other truck. They couldn't see it shaking in the moonless sky, but there were some very loud sounds coming from within and they didn't sound like sounds of joy, they sounded like someone was being beaten.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hearing the approaching footsteps and not sure if it was man or beast, Sara, still straddling Jim, froze up and strained to hear. His head spinning from the tickling and the alcohol, he took the opportunity to place a small kiss on her neck. He guessed he didn't know what he would have expected when he kissed her, but he certainly wasn't expecting her to reciprocate. Slowly turning her head to face him, she dipped her head down and placed a moist kiss on his lips.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Hey, is everything ok in there" Grissom shouted, knocking on the hatch


	3. CH 3

Freezing for a moment, Jim tried to think of a cover for his shouting. In a stroke of brilliance, he grabbed the opened up sleeping bag, he threw it over Sara and whispered. 

"Play dead"  
"For sure." she whispered back

Slipping his shirt back on, he popped the hatch and saw Grissom and Greg standing there with puzzled looks on their faces. Still thinking on his feet, so to speak, he came up with something else.

"Yeah, Sara just scratched me with her toe nails."

Trying not to laugh, Greg turned away, while Grissom craned his neck to try for a look inside the truck. Sara was still and silent as she listened to Jim and Grissom talking.

"Did you guys hear that noise a little while ago? It sounded like some huge gnarly beast." Jim asked, trying to shift the subject

"I heard something, but I don't know what it was. Look, lets try to get back to sleep and we'll start back up at sun up" Grissom directed

"Sounds like a plan." Greg said, walking back to the truck

In their truck Greg and Grissom managed to fall back asleep secure in the knowledge that everything was as fine as it was going to be for the time being. Not wanting to do anymore talking, Grissom just rolled over onto his side and pulled the sleeping bag up over his head and tried to tune out Greg's snoring.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Its safe. You can come out now." Jim whispered

Reaching over and carefully peeling the bag back, Jim smiled. He would have liked to have picked up where they left off, but the gentleman in him kept his mouth and his fly shut, instead he suggested a sort of retaliation for Grissom and Greg's poorly timed visit. Conspiring in hushed tones, they came up with something purely genius.

They'd wait for about an hour to make certain that both men were asleep and then they would unleash hell and fear the likes of which no one had ever experienced before. At least that's the way it sounded while they were discussing the plan, while they were still very inebriated.

"So I'll do my thing and you'll do yours. Deal?" he commented

"Oh, you've got yourself a deal, man."

Sitting in silence, they quickly became giddy from thoughts of the reaction that their prank might elicit, and after only 30 minutes they bagged the plan to wait for an hour and redressed themselves. Sara was having problems with her shirt and kept either putting it on backwards or inside out. For his part, Jim was having a hell of a time trying to tie his shoes, so he went without as they slowly and very quietly opened the hatch and crept up on the truck, listening carefully. Sara listened up front and Jim listened in back, and hearing two trains (snoring men) they giggled silently and put their plan into effect.

Jim crouched down and let out with a great sort of snaggle from his nose and back of his throat. He sounded like some great re historic beast and as he continued to make some very frightening sounds, Sara could hear Grissom and Greg moving around inside.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Griss, did you hear that"  
"Yeah, I did. It sounded really close." he said, sitting up and instinctively grabbing his gun

Switching the safety off, he crawled to his knees and pressed his face up to the hatch to see outside. Seeing nothing, he jumped again when there was more noise.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Pitching her voice, such as it was, very high, Sara gave a squeal jumped on the back bumper, staying low and in the blind spot so as not to be seen. With she holding onto the roof rack and Jim leaning heavily on the front bumper, still out of sight, they shook the truck like two lust driven teenagers. From her position Sara could hear the frightened whispers within.

"What the hell was that?" Greg shouted, cowering in the foot space of the passenger side

"I don't know, but whatever it is its huge; the whole damn truck is shaking." he said, his gun shaking in his hand

"Can you see anything"  
"Not a damn thing, but it sounds like nothing I've ever heard before"  
"It sounded like two of them. One growl was really low and the other sounded like some guy with his nuts in a vise" Greg whispered

"This is amazing. A real human encounter with some mythological creature." Grissom whispered, fishing around for his camera

Hearing Grissom's rifling and seeing the top of the flash of the picture snapper, Greg wondered what the hell Grissom was thinking. They were quite possibly in real mortal terror and this man wanted to capture it on film, Greg thought he was nuts.

"We're gonna be eaten alive by Sasquatch and you're taking pictures? Just be sure to get my face while its eating my legs, ok?" Greg snapped

"Its not Sasquatch, Greg, its RaRa. And no one's seen it in over 175 years, I'd be an idiot not to get photographic documentation."

"Yeah, well, you'll be a fool with some good shots, then, right"  
"Precisely"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Giving a few last few good shakes, growls and squeals, Jim and Sara ht footed it back to their truck, and having left the hatch open, jumped back in and slowly closed the gate. They flew under the covers and pretended to be asleep in the off chance that Grissom and Greg came running over. However, since it was still dark and sun up not due for another couple of hours, they figured they had some time to revel in their superiority where pranks are concerned.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Is it gone?" Greg asked, still cowering

"I think so. Its quiet and still. I wonder if Jim and Sara heard it. This is amazing." Grissom said, fogging up the window

It was just after sun-up and as Greg and Grissom put their shoes on and climbed out of their truck they looked around on the ground for evidence of tracks, scat or something else to photograph. Finding nothing save for what appeared to be soil disturbance, they walked over to the other truck and knocked on the hatch.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Honey, someone's at the door." Sara mumbled, half asleep

Sitting up and rubbing his eyes, Jim covered up Sara's nearly bare upper torso and tucked a lock of air behind her ear. Crawling on his hands and knees, Jim opened the hatch and saw Grissom and Greg standing there, Grissom with his camera and Greg with what appeared to be bed head, but given his penchant for bizarre hair styles, Jim couldn't be sure. Looking around, Jim offered a sleepy, sloppy grin.

"What's up?" he asked

In stunned disbelief that he seemed to be clueless, Gil explained things while Jim crawled out and closed the hatch behind him so as not to wake Sara with their discussion. Walking to the tree line, Jim watered the bushes while Grissom filled him in.

"You guys didn't hear anything this morning"  
"No, why"  
"Some great whatever was screaming and climbed all over the truck. I thought we were gonna be eaten alive." Greg said, pacing back and forth

"Nothing so grand as that, but it sounded like there were two of them, which would give credence to my theory, that its not just the one. I think it was a male and female. It sounded like a banshee and something else with a stuffed up nose" Gil explained

"Huh. Well, we didn't hear a thing." Jim said, trying not to laugh

"I tried to get pictures of it, but we never saw a thing, just heard and felt." Greg added

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

In the truck Sara was listening to everything and while Jim was covering up their activities of that morning, she was still under the unzipped bag laughing her ass off. After a few minutes Jim came back and closed the hatch behind him. Sitting beside her Indian style, Jim pulled back the covers and grinned that grin that Sara knew meant that he was up to no good.

"They bought it, hook, line and stinker"  
"Good, we'll have to be more creative tonight, then." she replied


	4. Chapter 4

When they all set out after sun up Greg and Grissom were still tired beyond belief. Jim and Sara, however, were very well rested as neither of the other two had any idea that Jim and Sara were responsible for the night's mischief. As they all gathered their kits and returned to the scene, such as it was, Greg and Sara resumed their previous day's processing while Grissom stood back a bit and Brass went wandering a bit. As Jim walked farther and farther from the mess behind him he looked to the ground and followed some very well indented footprints that lay in the damp earth he walked on. Turning round', he called to Grissom who joined him presently. Pointing down to the prints, Jim raised an eyebrow as Gil took photos for evidence. 

"Looks like some sort of dog tracks, but different some how. The pad prints are elongated and there only appears to be one set, whereas a canine would leave two sets; front and back. This looks like the animal was only using it's hind legs." Jim commented

Looking up at Jim, Grissom pursed his lips and replied as Jim continued to wander, but at a slower pace, now. After about fifty or so yards, Jim knelt down beside the prints and called back to Grissom who was still snapping pictures.

"Hey, Gil, catch a look at this. The prints have changed. Now they look more like human footprints; heel, arch,  
rolling to the ball and toe...this is freaky."

Snapping pics as he approached Jim, Gil gasped as he photographed evidence from where he had been to where Jim stood. The pics showed clear progression from the animal type prints to the more human looking prints. Standing up and adjusting the neck strap of his camera around his neck, he spoke softly as he looked down at the prints at his feet.

"Lycanthrope"  
"Bless you." Jim said in response

Glaring over at Jim, Gil elaborated.

"I didn't sneeze, I said Lycanthrope...werewolf"  
"There's no such thing as werewolves. They're just myth and urban legend." Jim said in even tones

"Then how do you suppose to explain the change in progression of these prints? It wasn't some barefoot guy walking a two legged dog, Jim. The prints are consistent and uninterrupted." Grissom said as he walked past Jim deeper into the woods

Through underbrush and overgrowth both Jim and Gil walked carefully beside the prints and as Jim looked around Grissom took in a deep breath of the slightly blowing wind. The smell of rotting and decaying flesh having gained both Jim and Gil's attention, they followed their noses as Gil radioed back to Sara as to their whereabouts. Jim's face scrunched up and he covered his nose while Gil pulled the neckline of his shirt up over his nose to cover up the rankness of the air. Jim could tell that they were nearing the lake and as a break came to the tree line, Grissom went in one direction as Jim went in another. As Jim stood by the shoreline Gil found something most disturbing. Calling out to Jim, he snapped pictures of the pile of bones and shredded corpses of forest creatures great and small. Jim arrived at Gil's side and after a few seconds, he stiffened up and pointed to the far side of the pile.

"You see that, looks like a human leg. See the tip of the femur?...right leg, maybe."

Aiming his lens at the spot that Jim had pointed to, Gil snapped more photos as he stepped closer to the pile. He circled the mass of bones and took snaps from every conceivable angle. For some he was crouched and leaning inward and for others, he was nearly right on top of the site. Jim stood back, still cringing as he watched Gil doing his thing.

"You want I should call Greg or Sara?" Jim asked "No, we're fine." Gil said softly "You may be fine, but I'm about to lose my lunch." Jim retorted "We haven't had lunch yet, Jim"  
"You know what I mean. This is gross. I've seen a lot in my time, but this is just plain foul." Jim replied

"Death is never pretty, Jim. No matter the mode, manner or cause, death is always tragic and unnerving; especially in a situation such as this." Gil said thoughtfully

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Back at the primary scene, Greg and Sara were still photographing and cataloging the bits of clothing and such. Into bindles and zip-lock bags they placed snips of shredded tent, and other non-biological material. The bits of flesh and other body bits went into the baggies and sealed with date, time and signature of the person who collected it.

Having finished their scene, Greg and Sara went in search of Jim and Gil, setting off in their last known direction. Approximately two hundred yards from the initial scene, Greg spotted something out from under the overgrowth of some sort of ivy that covered a large cluster of rocks. Nudging Sara, he pointed to what he'd just seen. Pulling out her walkie, Sara radioed Grissom who was still snapping photos when his walkie went off.

"Grissom, this is Sara. Greg and I might have found something."

Pulling the communication device from his pocket, he replied.

"Good. Jim and I found something as well. Where are you"  
"We're about two hundred yards northeast of the primary scene, near a large cluster of rocks."

"Ok, we'll be there in a few minutes"  
"Sure thing. We'll be waiting."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Jim and Gil set out in search of Greg and Sara and after a few minutes Jim spotted Greg standing guard near the afore mentioned rock cluster. Walking up to them, Gil and Jim tread very softly until they all stood in a small circle outside the medium sized enclosure of the rocks. Pointing inside, Sara enlightened them all as to what she'd seen inside.

"It looks like someone has been camping out in there. Its empty now, but there's a matting of leaves and pine needles as well as some old bones. They've been there for a while, at least that's what it looks like. They also seem to have teeth marls on them...too big for a rodent or some such other woodland critter, but more like a dog or larger animal. I bagged them and took pictures of the inside." she explained

Stepping past Sara and into the hovel, Grissom pulled out his flashlight and shone the beam around. On the walls, if that's what you'd call them, there was dried blood, but it was all near the ground. There was no blood higher than six inches from the ground, thusly ruling out arterial spray. The blood was post mortem blood spatter like that of some creature vigorously feeding on it's prey. The way a wet dog would shake the water or rain from it's coat, this creature ravaged its meal and the still warm blood ended up on the ground and low side of the cave wall. Opposite the bloody wall he could see the matting that Sara had mentioned. It definitely looked as if something made it's home there. Taking some pictures of his own, he backed out of the hole and stood straight up,  
his back cracking a bit in the process.

Looking around at his colleagues, Grissom scratched his head and let out a sigh. Turning to Jim, he grinned.

"Still think Lycanthropes are myth?" he said, gesturing for Jim to have a look at the inside


End file.
